British Design at the V&A
Due to the popularity of my mini-review of David Hockney at the Royal Academy, I thought I’d give it another go. I visited the new exhibition, British Design: 1948–2012 at the V&A on a busy bank holiday Monday. In short: I was not impressed. In long…
The exhibition is spread out over 3 rooms, in an initially seemingly chronological order, but you tend to get lost between the various categories they set out. The categories sometimes did not make sense and seemed over generalised (for example “Pharmacy”, “Shop”, “Innovation”). There was a lot packed into the space, and I felt a bit lost of how to navigate the space. The third room was probably the best, in the respect that there were various points of interest and a nice flow through the room.
There’s no doubt that there is a lot in there, and you’ll see everything and anything from coins to computer games, forks to fashion, and so much more. If anything it was too broad and each bit seemed very under represented. If nothing else, the ‘graphics’ section was very under stocked. Below is a photo of the only 7 posters and magazines, set within a club set. There was scatterings of other graphic design around – album art, posters, etc. – but the selection of 3 logos (2 by Wolf Ollins) to represent British logo design was surprising to say the least.
Overall it is a good exhibition for the tourists, just in time for the Olympics, to show some of how creative Brits can be. If nothing else, it’s good place to reminisce if you grew up in the 60s/70s/80s.
I may not have enjoyed it, but don’t let that put you off. Keep an open mind (and all that jazz) and you can check it out at the V&A in South Kensington until the 12th August 2012. Find out more →
